Spanish King's brother-in-law appeals prison sentence, pleads innocent
Iñaki Urdangarín _ the spouse of King Felipe's sister, Princess Cristina _ was found guilty on Feb. 17 of participating in a plot to unlawfully derive financial benefit from public funds that were obtained and channeled through supposedly non-profit entities.
"I was simply a friendly fixer," Urdangarín claimed in his appeal, adding that he was a "mediator without any knowledge of the administrative law."
The former Olympic handball player said he had merely used his contacts in the sports world and institutions so that the region of the Balearic Islands could "hold forums on tourism and sport," as well as "sponsor the best cycling team in the world."
"I did this with the awareness that everything was being done correctly and legally," read the appeal, which was obtained by Spanish daily El Mundo.
Urdangarín's defense counsel lodged the appeal at the Supreme Court against the original ruling, handed down by a regional court in Palma de Mallorca, that had convicted the former handball star on charges of obstruction of justice, embezzlement, fraud, influence peddling and two counts of tax evasion.
According to the verdict, Urdangarín used his prominent position as the husband of the Duchess of Palma and a member of the Royal Family to secure public contracts from his acquaintances in various public bodies.
The regional government of the Balearic Islands, under the control of the conservative Popular Party, had funneled public funds into Urdangarín and his business partner's "non-profit" _ the so-called Nóos Institute _ to the tune of 2.3 million euros ($2.72 million).
Nóos also received more than 3 million euros from the regional government of Valencia and an annual contract worth 120,000 euros from Madrid's failed bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
The appeal also blamed Urdangarín's ex-partner, Diego Torres, for all irregularities, saying he bore responsibility for closing the deals.
Torres was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison and fined 1,723,843 euros after being found guilty of, among other crimes, defrauding the treasury by illegally transferring hidden income through an international web of shell companies based in the United Kingdom and Belize.
Because of this, according to Urdangarín's appeal, the court's sentence was based on an "illogical and absurd rationale that lacks the required solidity and reasonability," adding that the judges' version of events was "more improbable than probable."
Meanwhile, Torres lodged his own appeal, in which he insisted that every single activity carried out by the Nóos Institute was supervised by the Royal Household. The latter even controlled Nóos' interns, Torres claimed.
The "Nóos Case," as it is popularly known in Spanish media, arrived at the Supreme Court on July 3, when one of the court's prosecutors sought a much harsher punishment for Urdangarín.
Prosecutor María Ángeles Garrido asked in a cassation appeal document to increase Urdangarín's sentence to 14 years and six months, more than double the original conviction.
Urdangarín married Cristina de Borbón _ the daughter of then-King Juan Carlos I of Spain and sister of the current king, Felipe VI _ in a lavish society wedding in 1997.
Princess Cristina was ordered to pay a fine of 265,088 euros for having profited from the tax fraud committed by her husband.
The princess was the first member of the royal family to stand trial since Spain was restored to democracy in 1978.